Educators learn to help teens in crisis

Published: Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 11:39 AM.

Henderson - Tandra Henderson was desperate for some type of local training that would educate teachers and school administrators about mental health issues facing adolescents.

When she heard about the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in Henderson, she made sure to be there.

"We are always looking for mental health resources for our students," said Henderson, the Vance County Schools behavioral support specialist. "A lot of them have mental health issues that are undiagnosed. I work in the Exceptional Children department, specifically, but we also work with children who are not identified as EC because of the symptoms they exhibit. We are always looking for ways to become self-sustaining so we don't have to always rely on outside resources."

About 25 people from Vance and neighboring counties attended the training Wednesday, which was administered through (Cardinal Innovations and) the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; it was meant to provide adults with skills to help adolescents age 12 to 18 years old experiencing mental health or addiction challenges or those who are in crisis.

The Mental Health First Aid program is a key component of the state's Crisis Solution Initiative, which aims to improve crisis prevention services and reduce emergency department use and wait times for psychiatric and addiction treatment placement.

Henderson - Tandra Henderson was desperate for some type of local training that would educate teachers and school administrators about mental health issues facing adolescents.

When she heard about the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in Henderson, she made sure to be there.

"We are always looking for mental health resources for our students," said Henderson, the Vance County Schools behavioral support specialist. "A lot of them have mental health issues that are undiagnosed. I work in the Exceptional Children department, specifically, but we also work with children who are not identified as EC because of the symptoms they exhibit. We are always looking for ways to become self-sustaining so we don't have to always rely on outside resources."

About 25 people from Vance and neighboring counties attended the training Wednesday, which was administered through (Cardinal Innovations and) the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; it was meant to provide adults with skills to help adolescents age 12 to 18 years old experiencing mental health or addiction challenges or those who are in crisis.

The Mental Health First Aid program is a key component of the state's Crisis Solution Initiative, which aims to improve crisis prevention services and reduce emergency department use and wait times for psychiatric and addiction treatment placement.